Take-down pocket-knife.



G. H. WHITE.

TAKE-DOWN POGKBT KNIFE.

APPLICATION IILED mmzs, 1911.

1,026,065, Patented May 14, 1912.

wi/bmeooao 3140014 oz (WP t attomwq UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

CARL H. WHITE, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO THE PIOGRAN SALESCOMPANY, OF DENVER, COLORADO, A CORPORATION OF COLORADO.

TAKE-DOWN POCKET-KNIFE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL H. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Take-Down Pocket-Knives; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the char acters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in take-down pocket knives, myobject being to provide a construction in which when the blades are inthe open and closed positions, they shall be under tension of the mainspring, while when they are in the half-open or intermediate positionthey shall be relieved of the spring tension, making them easilyremovable for any reason, as for the purpose of substituting anotherblade.

This invention is similar to that disclosed in a previous application,Serial No. 57 7 ,285, filed August 15, 1910, allowed F eb ruary 15,1911. however, involves a novel feature in that a pin is employed forpositively relieving the blade of the tension of the spring when theblade is in the intermediate position, the spring, however, acting uponthe blade to hold it with sufficient security when in the wide-open andclosed positions. In this construction the shank or tang of the bladehas three faces, two of which are farther from the pivot than the thirdface, the latter being the face adjacent the spring when in thehalf-open or intermediate position; while the other two faces are thoserespectively engaged by the spring when in the closed and wide-openpositions.

An additional feature of my improved construction consists ininterposing a spacing sleeve at the extremities of the handle where theblades are pivoted, the object of the said sleeve being to prevent thebinding of the blade between the handle arts, incident to the connectionof the said parts by means of a fastening screw. In this constructionthe screw passes through the spacing sleeve and the latter forms thebearin for the knife blade.

it Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1911.

The present invention,-

Patented May 14:, 1912. Serial No. 617,422.

being shown in section. In this view both blades of the knife are in thewide-open position. Fig. 2 is a similar view with both blades in thehalf-open or intermediate position. Fig. 3 is a similar view with bothblades closed. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale, showingone blade in two posit-ions, one in full lines and the other in dottedlines. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the blade in the halfopenposition, whereby it is relieved of the springs tension. Figs. 6 and 7are sections taken on the line 6-7, Fig. 4:, illustrating two forms ofconstruction for the end fastenings of the handle parts.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate the parts of the knife handle and 6 a mainspring interposed between the handle parts, and secured in place by acentrally located rivet pin 7. The blades 8, which are inserted in theknife handle, have their tangs provided with three faces, designated 9,10 and 11, the face 9 being nearer the center of the pivot screw 12 thaneither of the faces 10 and 11. These faces 10 and 11 may be equallydistant from the center of the axis of the blade, or approximately so,as may be desired. I11 an event, when the blades are in the half-openposition, or in a suitable intermediate position, they are relieved fromthe spring ten sion by virtue of pins 13 which pass through the twoknife handle parts and engage the spring, whereby its extremities areprevented from touching the faces 9 of the knife blade tangs. On thecontrary, the faces 10 and 11 are located a sufficient distance from theaxes of the blades, that the spring is forced outwardly beyond the pins13, whereby the blades are held under the necessary tension when in thewide-open and closed positions.

By virtue of my improved construction it becomes practicable to make themain spring of the knife of any desired strength,

since it is held by the pins against engagement with the face 9, butwhen engaged by the faces 10 and 11 and forced outwardly from the pins,the entire tension of the spring is upon the blades regardless 'of thestrength of the spring.

As illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing, two forms of the pivotscrew 12 are employed. This screw, however, is surrounded intermediatethe handle parts, by a spacing sleeve 15, of sufficient length toprevent the possible binding of the blade between the handle parts,incident to the drawing of the said parts together by means of thescrew, whose inner extremity is concealed by reason of the fact that theopening does not extend entirely through both handle parts. This form ofconstruction will be found advantageous where the extremities of thehandle parts are composed of metal or other material in which it ispracticable to form screw threads. When, however, the extremities of theknife handle parts are composed of so-called pearl or similar brittle orfrangible material, it may be preferable to employ the form ofconstruction shown in Fig. 7, in which an opening is made entirelythrough both handle parts, the extremity of the fastening screw remotefrom the head being covered by a nut 16, countersunk in the extremity ofthe handle part, the outer extremity of the nut being closed.

Whichever form of end fastening maybe employed, when it is desired toremove either blade from the handle, it is only necessary to detach thescrew, after which the tang of the blade together with the spacingsleeve, is readily removable. In order to substitute another blade it isonly necessary to insert the spacing sleeve 15 within the tang opening,insert the tang between the two parts of the handle in such a mannerthat the opening through the sleeve shall register with the screwopenings in the handle parts, and then insert the screw.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a pocket knife, the combination with a handle having a main springsuitably secured in place, of a blade pivotally connected with the endof the handle and having 0ppositely located side faces and an end faceadapted to occupy positions respectively adjacent the end of the springwhen the blade is in the wide-open, closed and intermediate positions,the faces of the blade adjacent the spring when the blade is in thewide-open and closed positions being farther from the pivotal center ofthe blade than the face adjacent the spring when the blade is in theintermediate position, and being respectively engaged by the main springwhen the blade is in the said wide open and closed positions, and meansacting on the main spring to prevent its engagement with the end face ofthe blade when the blade is in the intermediate position, and allowingthe spring to engage the side faces of the blade when the blade is inthe other positions, substantiall as described.

2. A knife composed of a handle, a main spring and a blade pivoted atthe extremity of the handle, the pivoted extremity of the blade havingthree faces which occupy positions respectively adjacent the end of thespring when the blade is in the wide-open, closed and intermediatepositions, the faces of the blade which are engaged by the spring whenin the wide-open and closed positions being equi-distant from thepivotal center of the blade and farther from the center than the thirdor end face, and respectively engaged by the main spring when the bladeis in the said wide open and closed positions, and means for preventingthe spring from engaging the said third or end face of the blade whenthe blade is in the said intermediate position, substantially asdescribed.

3. A knife provided with a main spring, and a blade whose pivotedextremlty 1s equipped with three faces adapted to occupy positionsrespectively adjacent the end of the spring when the blade is in thewideopen, closed and intermediate positions, the faces occupying thepositions adjacent the spring when the blade is in the wide-open andclosed positions being farther from the pivotal center of the blade thanthe third face of the blade, and respectively engaged by the main springwhen the blade is in the said wide-open and closed positions, and meansfor preventing the spring from engaging the third face of the blade whenthe latter is in the intermediate position, for the purpose set forth.

4. A knife provided with a main spring and blades whose pivotedextremities are each provided with three faces adapted to occupyposit-ions respectively adjacent the end of the spring when the blade isin the wide-open, closed and intermediate positions, the two faces ofeach blade which respectively lie adjacent the spring when the blade isin the wide-open and closed positions being farther from the pivotalcenter of the blade than the third face, and respectively engaged by themain spring when the blades are 1n the wide-open and closed positions,and means for preventing the spring from engaging the third faces of theblades, when the latter are in the intermediate position, substantiallyas described.

5. A knife composed of a handle, a main spring, and a blade pivoted inthe handle, the pivoted extremity of the blade having faces whichrespectively occupy positions adjacent the spring, when the blade is inthe wide-open, closed and intermediate positions, the face adjacent thespring when the located nearer the pivotal center of the blade blade isin the intermediate position being in the intermediate position freefrom engagement with the spring.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL H. WHITE.

than the other faces the faces adjacent the main spring when the bladeis in the wideopen and closed positions being respectively engaged bythe main spring when the blade Witnessesi is in the said wide-open andclosed positions, 0. H. ROESSNER, and means for maintaining the bladewhen F. E. BOWEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

